The Urban Farmer’s Almanac

It’s still technically winter, but the cherry blossoms have blossomed and it feels like an early spring. We have started some seeds inside, and some of the plants that were dormant are emerging from colder months. In order, below are photos of Swiss Chard and Pea starts inside, garlic coming up (planted in late December), rhubarb, and the new Egyptian Walking Onions.

A friendly fellow gardener named Maya posted some extra onion starts she had on the good old Seattle Urban Farm Co-op listserv, and I was intrigued by the name: Egyptian Walking Onions. They are a pretty interesting plant:

“Egyptian Walking Onions are very unusual, heirloom onions. They are top-setters, which means that they produce onion seeds from the flowering green tops of the onion. They are called walking onions because the top-setters fall over and re-root themselves; literally ‘walking’.”

Apparently they are great to use like green onions when they’re small, and they also grow nice shallot-like bulbs. In addition to taking a walk around the garden. I’ll post some photos when I plant them.

The size of this egg that was laid today is ridiculous. It is at least twice as big as normal chicken eggs… there must be two or three yolks in there. The good news is, I think all of our chickens are laying again.

All it takes is a self-addressed stamped envelope to get some starter.

Came across this free sourdough starter offer… I think it’s actually from the Oregon Trail and 150 years old. I’m mailing off for it today; look for an update in a month or so. Sounds like a fun thing to try with our bread technique. Read the “About Carl” section… what a champ!

There is a post on Craigslist right now for some free composted manure in our neighborhood, so of course I’m all over that. Turns out a truckload was given to the Jesuit house up by St. Joe’s by a farm in Enumclaw, and there was a ton (probably quite literally) left over after they used all they could. When I pulled up the pile was probably 10 feet in diameter and 4 feet high. While I was filling bags and loading up the back of the car, a truck backed up. Between the two of us we barely dented the pile.

At some point, one of the residents came out and was joking about how you know the garden nerds when they are huddled around a steaming pile of manure, shoveling in the rain, and exclaiming “I can’t believe how much God loves me!”